Creamy Japanese Mayogaritas

If you're ever in suburban Tokyo and you want to try something exotic, pop by the Mayonnaise Kitchen to sip back a "Mayogarita."

Maybe I'm just biased by the culture I grew up in, but a mayonaisse margarita sounds a little too unappetizing for my tastebuds. Usually mixers are intended to tame the tastes of liquor, but washing the hard stuff down with something even more shudder-worthy? Only in Japan!

The Japanese have mixed up this little cocktail, and the locals are loving it! The entire nation has an affinity for the creamy sandwich spread, and they don't go light on it either. Ironically, mayo originated in the Western world where it is now looked at (by most people) as a major calorie bomb. Asians, however, aren't so concerned about its choleterol-raising, artery-clogging associations and are adding it to everything from sushi to pasta and fondue. Mayo connoisseurs have even received their own nickname: "mayolers."

Reuters reported, "In 2006, Japanese consumed 1.65 kg of mayonnaise per person, down from a peak of 1.90 kg in 2000."